Best Online Counseling Programs in Kansas City, MO (2026)

Updated June 11, 2026 BLS data College Scorecard On this page

Kansas City, Missouri has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs. Kansas City has a population of about 508,233. Median household income is $67,449 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 37.8% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area, the top-earning counseling-related role is Social and Community Service Manager at a median $78,920 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).

Closest Counseling Schools to Kansas City

The 5 accredited institutions below are the closest among the 5 schools in our directory that offer counseling programs near Kansas City. Distances are calculated from Kansas City city center.

How We Rank Schools

Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS). To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked against schools at the same credential level:

Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%

Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Kansas City. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

Online programsYes

Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Published tuitionContact school for pricing

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Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all Missouri schools on the Missouri counseling page.

Counseling Wages Near Kansas City

Kansas City is part of the Kansas City, MO-KS metro area (BLS area code 28140). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Missouri statewide.

Occupation	Median Wage	Source	COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Substance Abuse, Behavioral Disorder, and Mental Health Counselor	$60,690	Kansas City, MO-KS	$65,611
Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor	$60,820	Kansas City, MO-KS	$65,751
Marriage and Family Therapist	$59,120	Kansas City, MO-KS	$63,914
Rehabilitation Counselor	$46,800	Kansas City, MO-KS	$50,595
Counselor, All Other	$62,170	Kansas City, MO-KS	$67,211
Social and Community Service Manager	$78,920	Kansas City, MO-KS	$85,319

Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.

Kansas City at a Glance

Metric	Value	Source
Population	508,233	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income	$67,449	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+	37.8%	Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)	92.5 (below U.S. average)	BEA RPP 2024
Counseling-related employment in Jackson County	14,831 workers, 7,054 establishments	BLS QCEW 2024 annual

Other Kansas City-Area Cities With Counseling Programs

Gladstone, MO – 6.2 mi away (27,114 pop)
Raytown, MO – 10.2 mi away (29,261 pop)
Kansas City, KS – 10.2 mi away (151,709 pop)
Prairie Village, KS – 10.4 mi away (21,805 pop)
Liberty, MO – 10.8 mi away (30,614 pop)

Frequently Asked Questions

How many accredited counseling schools are near Kansas City, MO?

Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering counseling programs near Kansas City. The closest is City Vision University in Kansas City, MO (1.8 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Avila University (14.8 miles). 5 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.

What are the highest-paying counseling roles near Kansas City?

Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying counseling-related roles near Kansas City are: Social and Community Service Manager ($78,920), Counselor, All Other ($62,170), Educational, Guidance, and Career Counselor and Advisor ($60,820). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Missouri statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.

Should I look at programs in Gladstone instead of Kansas City?

Gladstone, MO is 6.2 miles from Kansas City and has its own set of local counseling programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.

Is Kansas City an affordable place to study counseling?

Kansas City’s median household income of $67,449 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Kansas City while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Missouri public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.

How do I verify a program is accredited?

Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.

Learn More About Counseling Programs

Other Programs Available in Kansas City

Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Kansas City:

Data verified: June 11, 2026. Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.

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